Decorated fabric and method and means for making the same



1936. N. c. THACKERAY ,051,353

DECORATED FABRIC AND METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed May 25, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 INVENTOR Norman 6. Thackeray BY M ATTORNEY Aug. 18, 1936. l N. c. THACKERAY 2,051,353

DECORATED FABREIIC AND METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME Filed May 25} 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Norman C. Thackeray Patented Aug. 18, 1936 a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECORATED FABRIC AND METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING THE SAME The present invention relates to decorated fabric and methodand means for making the same.

The more common methods of commercially decorating piece goods include woven designs, single or multiple color printing, metallic print ing, nitro cellulose printing, acetate cellulose printing, and flock printing. The decorative possibilities of each of these printing and deco-' rating processes have been previously explored.

Their limitations are more or less well known, especially the difllculty of supplementing a design produced by one method by a design produced by another method.

Flock printed fabrics heretofore produced have always been limited to the use of a single color of flock for decorating the fabric. Flock printing machines (such as the S. Sharp 8: Sons rotary stencil printing machine) on which these fabrics are decorated have a rotary belt-like metal stencil and a rotary belt-like blanket synchronously driven. The fabric to be decorated is carried by the blanket and the traveling stencil bears on the moving fabric so that a doctor blade can force adhesive through the stencil onto the fabric. After the fabric has been thus treated, it is passed into a flock beating. machine where the fiock is applied so that it sticks in the adhesive.

The goods are then passed into a heated chamber and aged until such time as the flock printing is dried after which it is taken out and brushed to produce flock printed'fabric of a single color.

Inasmuch as the flock in the flock beating machine is thoroughly agitated, the same type of 35 flock. will be applied to the cloth and the color and character of the flock printing decoration produced will be uniform at all points where the adhesive has been applied. It is, therefore, im-= possible in the former process to obtain multiple color effects in the flock printed decoration.

The present invention, in its broadest aspect, relates to decorating fabric already decorated (for example, by ordinary printing, by flock printing or by a woven design) by adding to it a sup- 45 plemental decoration by flock printing, nitro cellulose printing, or acetate cellulose printing (or otherwise). The added design is placed on the predecorated fabric in such a way that the second printed design bears a proper relation to 50 theflrst to produce a unitary and combined eifect.

According to the present invention, the web having .a first printed or other design is passed through a machine adapted for flock printing, nitro cellulose printing, acetate cellulose printing,

55 or for metallic printing. The fabric is first put adhesive.

on a stentering frame to straighten out the threads and bring the woven or previously printed design into exact alignment. The web is then brought to a proper position (preferably by ad justing it under a transparent guide) to register 5 the design on the fabric with the machine. It is then passed through some form of mechanism by which'the second form of printing may be produced.

Various mechanisms may be utilized for the 10 purpose of producing the second design on the fabric thus registered. In the present application, two such mechanisms are indicated. In one form of construction, a stencil for the second design is employed and the adhesive passed 15 through the holes in this stencil. In the other form of machine, the fabric is passed between a series of needles (arranged according to the design to be produced) and a source of adhesive, into which the needles, after passing through 20 the fabric, may enter so as to be wetted with the The needles are then withdrawn through the fabric which wipes oil the adhesive so as to wet small areas of fabric. For metallic printing, acetate cellulose printing, nitro cellulose printing, and the like, the fabric is treated in an appropriate manner to fix the newly printed design in it, while for flock printing, the fabric is immediately passed into flock machines and dried and brushed as usual. If a third color or type of printing is to be applied, the process may be repeated.

Where successive flock printing operations are to be carried out, the fabric is first subjected to one flock printed operation (for example, as in the manner above referred to) whereby one color of flock is printed onto the fabric. The fabric is then dried and brushed as usual and is then subjected to one or more flock printing operations whereby one or more colors or type of flock are 4 printed onto the fabric.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show for purposes of illustrating the present invention two forms of machine for producing decorated fabric and illustrate fabric produced thereby, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention instead of limiting the same. In these drawings: 5

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic, side elevational and top plan views of one form of printing machine; 3

Figures 3 and 4 are diagrammatic, side elevational and top plan views of another form of machine;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, elevational view showing the parts in a different position than in Figure 3; and t Figure 6 illustrates a motif produced and having multiple effects.

A roll of fabric predecorated by weaving, printing or otherwise, is indicated at iii in Figure 1. It may have a single color flock printed design of any type, such, for example, as the petals of a flower as indicated at II. This fabric has been previously passed over a stentering frame in order to get the design absolutely straight across the goods from selvage to selvage.

A blanket is indicated at l2. This blanket is carried about two drums l3 and I4, the drum ll being turned in a clockwise direction by any suitable means such as the'crank IS. The belt i2 passes above a suitable support or table IS.

A transparent guide or stencil having a definite position relative to the machine is indicated at II. It bears some form of marking which has a definite relation to the design previously printed or produced on the fabric. For example, if the original design were the petals of a flowcr, the transparent stencil might have holes or other marks as indicated at l8 which were spaced the same as the centers of the flowers. The fabric I0 is passed above a .suitable support IS on which it can be layed out flat. It then extends under the transparent stencil or guide H where it may be manipulated by hand to place the previously printed ornamentation in the desired relation to the transparent stencil. This places the fabric in the desired position on the blanket I2. I

The fabric is then' advanced a predetermined amount by moving the blanket forward to the next stopping point. This is determined by mechanisms not shown in the drawings. The blanket with the adjusted fabric will then be moved from the left toward the right and carried out from under the transparent stencil and brought into a new position where a copper stencil, such as indicated at 20, is placed in exactly the proper position relative to the machine. This position is such that the holes 2| therein are exactly over the centers of the petals of previously printed design on the fabric. The copper stencil is held down onto the fabric by a spring pressed doctor blade 22 which acts to the openings in the copper stencil onto the fabric.

For metallic printing, acetate cellulose printing, nitro cellulose printing and the like, the appli cation of the fluid is followed by the usual appropriate treatment. For flock printing the fabric passes into a flock. beating machine indicated at 23 where the desired color of flock is present. It will adhere to the fabric at the points where the adhesive had been applied. The fabric is then passed through a dryer 24 and brushed in the usual way and if a third color is to be placed on the fabric it is again passed through a stentering frame, rewound and the process repeated using such stencils as may be required.

In Figures 3 and 4, the web operated upon is indicated by the letter F. Here the design forming the predecoratlon is indicated by the small at the proper speed by a chain 52.

placed on the fabric by the box 50 prevents the '75 dotted circle 30. At this stage of the operations the web is inverted so that the face shall be underneath and the needles shall leave a globule on such underside and is passed over a table 3| which supports astripper plate 32 which strips the adhesive off of the needles. This may be raised from the full line position to the dotted line position of Figure 3.

A chain or belt 33 mounted on sprocket wheels 34 and 35 carries a number of long needles 36. These needles pass along the side edges of the table 3| and project above the table as indicated.

,When the stripper plate 32 is raised to the upper position, the fabric is above the needles so that it can be manually moved or sifted to, such a position as to bring the design 30 into registry with a similar design 300. carried on' a transparent plate or stencil 31 adapted to be secured in a predetermined position relative to the machine.

When the stripper plate 32 is lowered, the fabric drops onto the needles 36 and will be advanced or moved to the right when the handle or other driving mechanism 33 operates the sprocket wheels 34.

These needles will carry the fabric beyond the table 3! and bring it underneath a reciprocable needle carrier 40. This needle carrier supports a number of long sh'arp needles 4| spaced according to the design which'is desired to produce in the fabric by the second printing operation. This is here indicated at 40a by a large circle of dots.

The needle carrier 40 is shown as connected by a link 42' to the rocker arm 43 adapted to be shifted back and forth by a crank 44 to raise and lower the needle carrier. The rocker arm is" also connected by links "to a pad carrier indicated at 46. This'pad carrier may be in the form of a trough which carries a mass of loose fibers or felt and suitable adhesive for flock printing, metallic printing, nitro-cellulose or acetate cellulose printing, or other appropriate solution for the desired decorative effect. This adhesive may or may not be colored as desired.

when the mechanism Just described is shifted from the position shown in Figure 5 to the position shown in Figure 3, the needles'are pressed down through the fabric and the adhesive trough is raised up so that the needles 4| enter into the adhesive soaked felt or flbers. when the mechanism is shifted back to its original position, the needles are withdrawn from the fabric and each needle leaves a little globule which is absorbed by the fabric.

At the same time that the adhesive or other solution is being applied to the fabric by the needles another portion of the fabric is brought to the proper position under the transparent guide or stencil and placed on the needles 33 so that when the chain mechanism 33 is advanced another step, the fabric moves to the right to pass the wetted fabric beyond the needles and bring a fresh length of fabric to position for the needles H to again-be operated so as to deposit flock printing is desired, the fabric F then passes under a flock carrying box indicated at 30 to sift flock onto the upper surface of the fabric. It then passes about a continuous apron 3| driven The flock v printing on of the design onto the apron. The

by the bordering dots 6i and a metallic dot by the central dot 62.

Fabrics which have been decorated as contemplated by the present invention may have an exceedingly wide variety of ornamental designs.

They are capable of much wider use than the printed or woven designs heretofore available. The same set of stencils and/or needles may be used in printing various colors and obtaining various effects by either changing a color used with this particular stencil or by varying the type of fabric used as a base for the printing. These processes may also be employed for decorating paper.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms and constructions and I wish it to be understood that the particular forms shown are but two of the many forms. Various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of operating on fabric provided with regularly recurring decorations, which comprises registering said decorations with a guide so as to realign the decorations, then bringing the realigned fabric into alignment with a plurality. of reciprocable needles, projecting the needles through the fabric into an adhesive trough, withdrawing the needles to carry adhesive to the fabric to produce a design for a fabric.

2.v The method according to claim 1, wherein the fabric while wetted with the adhesive is passed through a flock beating machine so that the second design is a flock printed one.

3. A machine for printing a second design on fabric having a. regularly recurring design already thereon, comprising a support for the fabric, a transparent guide overlying the fabric on the support and bearing indicia whereby the fabric may be shifted so that the printed design and transparent guide may be brought into registry, means to move the fabric beyond the transparent guide wlthoutdisturbing the threads, a needie carrier above the fabric, an adhesive container below the fabric, means to force the needles through this fabric into the adhesive and to withdraw the needles from the fabric whereby the fabric is wetted with adhesive according to the disposition of the needles, and a dryer to receive the fabric.

NORMAN o. THACKERAY. 

